


Louder In Words

by shinybicho



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-06
Updated: 2012-06-06
Packaged: 2017-11-07 01:43:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/425531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinybicho/pseuds/shinybicho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Oh my god,” Steve breathed out. “I love you.” It wasn’t a whisper; it wasn’t even much of a statement. It was a sudden realization, an epiphany.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Louder In Words

**Author's Note:**

> So I wondered what would have happened if Steve suddenly realizes he's in love with Tony in a middle of an argument and says it out loud...
> 
> I don't like thinking/writing/giving titles to any of my work, I swear. ~~This was originally UNTITLED, but I don't want to post it like that... OTL~~
> 
> All my knowledge of the characters are from the movies and numerous and various fanfiction, so if there are any out of characterizations, please feel free to inform me. Also, any kind of criticisms are greatly appreciated.
> 
> This was edited and re-edited by me. It's not American-picked, so please forgive future grammatical errors.

“Oh my god,” Steve breathed out. “I love you.” It wasn’t a whisper; it wasn’t even much of a statement. It was a sudden realization, an epiphany. “I’m in love with you.” Steve said it again, a little louder this time, looking at Tony straight in the eyes but it didn’t make Tony any less nervous.

 

Tony doesn’t understand. They were yelling at each other before this. Steve was telling him off again: how reckless he is, how his attitude and personality isn’t good for the team, how he should really eat more often and how he just drives Steve crazy.

 

Tony expected a punch right then and there. Nothing in the _world_ would have made him think Steve was in love with him.

 

Steve looks at Tony straight in the eyes. Panic clearly written in both of their faces, both not knowing what to do with this realization but for entirely different reasons.

 

Because Steve can cope with this. He can accept the fact that Tony, even being the most frustrating guy he’s ever met, is the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with. But Tony can’t, because he’s Tony Stark and his love (and sex) life (or his life in general) was one huge mess that not even the Perfect Soldier can fix. Tony is quite happy with his one-night stands and strippers and hookers and occasional gay night clubs, but that was the extent of it.

 

This is why he tells JARVIS not to let anyone in the lab, damn it.

 

Tony takes a step back, trying to figure out a way to divert this conversation or to just run away. He just can’t deal with this right now and he knows that Steve is going to insist he at least acknowledge the newfound feelings.

 

Tony cringes and takes another step back when Steve began stepping forward, slowly like a hunter moving in to catch its prey. He wants to tell Steve that it’s not love. That it’s not real. It was more for his sake than Steve’s though.

 

His back hits the wall and Steve is one step to closing in on his personal space and Tony had never felt smaller and slightly claustrophobic (and he’s in a metal suit pretty much every day). But Steve pauses on that one step away from Tony because Tony was beginning to shake. Tony didn’t realize it himself until the wall touched his back and he just wants to slide down to the ground and curl and probably be eaten by the floor.

 

Steve gazes at him softly, as soft as he can because Tony looked like he was about to go hysterical. Steve makes sure that he doesn’t look predatory at least. He contemplates on stepping back, but he wants to let his feelings sink in. Talking to Tony about this might help, but seeing the genius like this put him in a dilemma: give Tony space and never talk about it again or force Tony to talk and watch him clam up.

 

He can probably get a win-win situation. He’s Captain America—he’s hit Hitler and fought against aliens and monsters and robots—and he’s in love with Tony Stark. Steve fought down a blush, feeling that the last one might have been his greatest achievement yet.

 

Steve watches Tony slowly slide down to the ground, hugging his knees and burying his face. He frowns because Tony was still shaking.

 

“Tony,” he begins and refrains a twitch when Tony flinched like Steve was going to kill him. Steve crouches down in front of Tony, tries not to reach out to the other man and softens his voice. “I’m not going to force anything on you, Tony.” He tries to soothe with his voice as calm as possible, like talking to the Hulk after a battle.

 

“You don’t have to deal with this. It’s my feelings, it’s my problem. If you don’t want to see or talk to me, that’s fine. I understand. You’re going to have to work with me, though, but it probably won’t be much of a problem. I’ll be on the ground and you’ll be flying around most of the time and the only way we’ll have a conversation is whenever I give you orders and you either confirm with a joke or answer with a sarcastic comment, just as usual.” Steve smiles fondly at the memory. Apparently, he’s been having these feelings for quite some time now.

 

“Although I think I’ll yell at you if you do either. Then you’ll go and risk your life for the sake of everyone and the Avengers and even SHIELD—deny it all you want, I know you care for some of them, Tony—then I’ll make sure you’ve got back up and scream at you through the communicators.” Steve scoots over to sit beside Tony, his back against the wall but his shoulders an inch apart from Tony’s.

 

He closes his eyes and continues. “You won’t even hear me lecture you because you’ll be whispering probabilities, formulas, equations and theories. And when I ask you if you heard me or if you were listening at all, you’d have reached a conclusion and shoot up to the sky and destroy whatever is attacking New York with the perfect, clean shot.”

 

Flashes of the moments of their earlier battle appeared inside Steve’s eyelids. “Then the entire block or ten would be covered with smoke from your repulsors and my heart would stop beating and I won’t be able to breath.” The memory becoming more and more vivid with each sentence. “My brain would be all jumbled up and I can’t even yell your name in my shock and panic.”

 

Tony slowly lifts his head, his eyebrows furrowed and the same memories flashing before him, too. “Then I’ll run into the smoke. I can’t even hear Natasha calling my name or Clint telling me it’s a bad idea because the only thing I’m thinking of—all of my focus—is you.” Tony turns his head in surprise.

 

“When I find you under or over the middle of the rubble, I’ll just fall onto my knees beside you in relief.” Steve lets out a tired laugh. “Debriefing back in the Helicarrier would be awkward and stiff because I’ll try not to yell at you in front of everyone. Even when you try to skip by saying useless and unnecessary things deliberately.”

 

Steve opens his eyes, slowly now, and turns his head to meet Tony’s eyes, a small smile creeping up his lips. “But after the meeting, you’ll stall a little longer. You’re itching to leave and I know you don’t like being lectured, but you stay and listen to me banter at you anyway.”

 

“I’m probably getting stupider,” Tony mumbles low, quickly darting his eyes away from Steve’s. Steve allows himself to fall onto Tony’s shoulder, feeling the other man stiff for a second before relaxing and even leaning a bit as well. “But I guess we’ll be skipping that banter from now on.” Steve says, frowning and remembering why he was reliving each battle memory.

 

Tony freezes again and Steve can feel it—can feel him. “No,” Tony whispers, letting go of his knees and allowing them to unfold. He leans onto Steve’s shoulder but barely resists the urge to lean his head on the big guy’s shoulder. “It’s fine. Feel free to lecture me. God knows I deserve it.” Tony says truthfully.

 

Steve’s lips twitch and he knows his hands are itching to touch Tony. He understands now. Why everything Tony says about himself irks Steve because Tony tells himself and everyone how horrible a person he is. Why everything Tony does makes Steve either worry, frustrated, amazed or deliriously happy. Why there are times he feels like he needs to punch someone because random strangers were either too close or too rude to Tony.

 

Why he feels like dying when he can’t see Tony in the battlefield after shooting the killing repulsor shot. Why he suddenly wants to pull Tony closer to him just to tell himself that Tony’s alive.

 

Why a genuine smile from Tony makes him feel like he’s in cloud nine. Why even now, right in the laboratory, he just wants to kiss Tony senseless until there was only the two of them in the whole universe and alternate realities.

 

Which is why Steve hesitantly reaches a hand to Tony’s cheek, turning his head to face him. Tony looks up at him, his eyes are still guarded but filled with that glint that Steve never seems to know if it’s amusement or happiness. Steve leans down, his eyes slowly closing.

 

He hears a frustrated growl before feeling hot lips to his and he’s opening them and licking Tony’s mouth and pushing his tongue in, the hand on Tony’s face at the back of Tony’s neck now, pulling him closer. He wraps his other arm around Tony’s waist and pulls him closer. Steve feels Tony shift a bit, moaning softly while returning each suck, each nip and each lick. He feels Tony’s hand on his shoulder and Tony’s mouth almost inching away above him before Steve moves his hand from the back of Tony’s neck to Tony’s thigh and pulling Tony’s calf closer to him, he raises his knees for Tony to fall back on.

 

Tony pulls back with a loud sound of their lips, breathing heavily and Steve moves his head forward, catching Tony’s lips again with another kiss in less than a second. Satisfied at how close Tony is to him, Steve cups his hands to still Tony’s head now.

 

Tony taps his chest, trying to push Steve away. He makes a whimpering noise and Steve allows himself to be pushed back. Steve opens his eyes and he looks at Tony, drinking in the sight of him.

 

He was leaning onto Steve’s thighs. Tony still had his eyes closed, his mouth slightly open and he’s breathing heavily from his chest. His cheeks are pink and his lips are swollen and red, sweat falling from his temple and Steve kisses it away because he can’t kiss Tony’s lips again and instead satisfies himself by touching Tony all over, his calloused hands gently caressing Tony though his clothes.

 

Tony’s breathing slows down and he releases a sigh, his hands roaming to Steve’s neck when Steve scrapes his teeth lightly onto Tony’s throat. Tony cranes his neck and unconsciously pushes Steve’s head down and Steve bites. A moan escapes Tony and Steve kisses and sucks at the broken skin.

 

“Are we… really going to do this… here?” Tony says breathless but not letting Steve raise his head. He feels Steve smile against his skin, Steve licking every skin he can reach with too much clothing between them.

 

“I love you, Tony.” And Tony allows Steve to finally raise his head to look at Tony straight in the eyes, baby blues now meeting browns. Tony smoothly slides his hand to cup Steve’s cheek, absent-mindedly rubbing the blonde’s cheekbone. Steve leans onto Tony’s hand and smiles. “I love you.” He says again, his right arm wrapped around Tony’s waist and his left reaching to hold Tony’s hand.

 

Tony smiles back. “I’m sure I love you too.” He says and that’s enough for Steve. Tony taps his left hand only barely reaching the back of Steve’s shoulders. “Now come on. We’ve got some love-making to do.” Steve chuckles and heaves Tony up, Tony’s legs quickly wrapping around his waist and he remembers that Steve has super-strength when he easily carries Tony back to the closest bedroom.

 

“I don’t care if it’s Clint’s or Thor’s. Okay, maybe I’m a bit scared if it’ll be Natasha’s. But you’re bringing me to the closest bedroom or I’ll rip your shirt out in the hall.”

 

Steve laughs and kisses Tony. God help him, he’s definitely fallen head over heels.


End file.
